Women & Men - Different Ideas Behind Carry

This is a discussion on Women & Men - Different Ideas Behind Carry within the Concealed Carry Issues & Discussions forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; A few observations regarding differences in ideology between men and women who carry.
Men:
When men carry, they often have an elaborate ideology regarding why ...

Women & Men - Different Ideas Behind Carry

A few observations regarding differences in ideology between men and women who carry.

Men:

When men carry, they often have an elaborate ideology regarding why they carry. Often is not because of a specific threat but because of the aforementioned ideology of citizenship and freedom. When asked, they might throw in Thomas Jefferson quotes or bring you up to speed on Heller.

Women:

I have met many women who carry but few who have an ideology attached to it. They carry because they have to walk a parking ramp after their second shift job (for example) and they are scared to death when they do it. Having the pistol makes them feel safer. They don't care to talk about carrying, do not quote Jefferson, and neither know nor care what a "Heller" is.

As I see it men carry due to ideology and women carry due to felt need.

If the public are bound to yield obedience to laws to which they cannot give their approbation, they are slaves to those who make such laws and enforce them.--Samuel Adams as Candidus, Boston Gazette 20 Jan. 1772

I think a lot of it is because most men won't admit they are fearful about everyday things, where typically women will freely admit something scares them.

So, men will come up with elaborate theories about why they need to carry and to convince themselves and others that its not out of fear.

A woman will tell you about a specific threat or fear she has without fear or sounding "wimpy", and society has largely accepted the idea that women tend to be innocent victims of violent crime more oftenthan men, and that a woman needs a pistol to fend off such attacks.

I will say that I carry because I see the news and read stories on here all the time. What is going on out in the world all the time, scares the crap out of me. If my carrying might give me a chance to not become a victim, then it is worth doing.

I think a lot of it is because most men won't admit they are fearful about everyday things, where typically women will freely admit something scares them.

So, men will come up with elaborate theories about why they need to carry and to convince themselves and others that its not out of fear.

A woman will tell you about a specific threat or fear she has without fear or sounding "wimpy", and society has largely accepted the idea that women tend to be innocent victims of violent crime more oftenthan men, and that a woman needs a pistol to fend off such attacks.

Hah ha. Wisdom has been spoken. I would not admit that I'm scared. I'm too macho.

I carry because I believe in being prepared. I am like this everywhere in life. I carry jumper-cables though my car is a brand-new Honda. I bring lots of water when I drive between Vegas and Arizona or California. There are too many small examples to list, but that is the jist of it.

I carry because there is the chance that I will need to defend myself and/or my family from death and/or great bodily harm.

I wouldn't call that fear, as fear is blinding and crippling. People stay in their homes because of fear. I carry a gun not because I'm afraid. I carry a gun because I accept the fact that there may come a time when I will have to confront evil and with my gun I may win that fight. Fear? Hardly. I prefer to call it tactics.

Can I be the first to say that we are ALL different in our ideals, from woman to woman, from man to man and from man to woman.

I may or may not be your typical woman (besides, please define a typical woman) but no, carrying a gun does not make me feel safer. It is a tool I use to be prepared should something happen... Nothing more. I don't carry because I'm afraid. I never once armed myself out of fear of crossing a parking long late at night and scared.

I talk about carry all the time, I do videos about it, I have a website about it. I'm an NRA certified instructor, work in a gun store and, on a daily basis, try to help people find the right carry equipment (gun, holster, ammo, etc.).

I train, I fear no caliber or gun and won't be told I can't handle something because I'm a girl.

And I most CERTAINLY will quote Thomas Jefferson, the 2nd Amendment, talk politics and discuss reason when it comes to guns and gun rights.

I carry because my ideology is that my life is worth more to me and to my family than anyone else and I have a right to protect it. Protect it I will.

It's not that I "NEED" to carry. If I am forced to be without a gun I'll fight with a hair dryer or my glasses if I need to. Having a gun makes me no more willing to beat the crap out of anyone who is trying to hurt me.

I'm not one of these feminist Nazis who pushes female empowerment down everyone's throats, but I will be honest in saying it does get annoying that everyone sees ME (because I am a woman) as a scared, shriveled, shivering individual who "reacts" to situations instead of "proacts" to be prepared for what may come.

Everyone assumes the same, that I carry out of fear, and while I'm used to it, I'm trying very hard to show them that is not the case.

Yeah, I'm physically weaker than a man. I wear makeup and dresses, love flowers and cry at ANY sappy movie. I AM more emotional than most of my male counterparts and I'm glad I'm that way. I very much enjoy being a woman and being considered gentler and kinder, NOT whimpier and less able.

So, as far as your theory goes (though I'm not sure what it's really even relevant to) I don't think it applies to ALL women.

If you are trying to make this observation as a means to open a door to talk to women about carry I think you are getting off on the wrong foot.

No one, not even a woman who fits your exact description, wants to have someone stand over them with a preconceived notion about their state of mind and say, "You only do this because of this..."

It annoys and even angers.

If you want to talk to a woman about guns and carry you CAN reach them on a logical level. We are capable of thinking logically. No, it doesn't hurt to make an emotional connection as well as we ARE more emotional, but saying that we "generally" don't make logical decisions is not entirely true. Just because we pick our outfits because we feel better about that color today doesn't mean we ALL vote for the candidate with the best parted hair (though sadly, I'm sure some people (men and women alike) did just that).

Men can make just as many emotionally based decisions as women can. The curse is not limited to our sex.

Yeah, I may have put pink grips on my gun because they were pretty and I liked them, but I'll tell you what, the first thing I did when I got them was take them to the range and make sure they were as functional as they were pretty. If they didn't work I would have gotten rid of them... pretty or not.

Like I said, I'm not sure exactly where you are planning to go with this discussion. If I knew I might be able to help out a little more.

You asked, "Whaddya think?" to all of us and based on what I've read I think you need a basis or direction for your argument.

Is there a girlfriend you are trying to convince to carry? Is there a mother-in-law who thinks you are crazy because you carry around her daughter and you're trying to prove her wrong? Is there a woman who refuses to speak about guns in your office and you are trying to rationalize why that may be?

Knowing the basis for your argument might help narrow down what made you come to this conclusion and whether or not your theory is good for generalization or only a specific situation.